1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a GPS-based system and method that displays different views of a target and, in particular, utilizes a user's selected source position to assist in displaying information about the target.
2. Description of Related Art
GPS systems have been used as navigation systems to location destinations. GPS systems have also been used in sports by participants in contests where position, location and distance to features are important. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,093 describes a GPS system and method for allowing a golfer to tell distance to a hole or other feature, and permits the course to track and manage golfers on the course. NASCAR with Sportsline has developed a GPS system mounted to cars for TV viewers to monitor a race.
GPS systems are becoming much more accurate, inexpensive and robust. GPS antennas and engines are fairly inexpensive and accurate with WAAS to less than 2 meters. In navigation use, the accuracy of GPS can be improved to centimeters, depending on the accuracy required, latency constraints, processing and bandwidth available, etc. Further, communication links are becoming very inexpensive and high bandwidth. For example, WiFi (802.11g) has modems with network signals approaching a 1 mile range, cost less than $5, with bandwidth of 54 M bit/sec. Wi-max (802.16) has network signals approaching 30 miles with data rates as high as 70 M bit/sec, but is more relevant to fixed installations Future versions of WiFi or other radio technology might be less than $1 with 10-100× bandwidths within a few years (as used herein WiFi refers to current and future versions of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications). Other radio technologies are also promising in many applications, such as Zigbee and Ultrawideband.
What has not been done in sports is an integrated GPS system for spectators to more fully enjoy a sport particularly at a remote location. For example, at a NASCAR race, the TV or radio viewing location limits his view of the race and is not his own unique perspective. While watching a race, the spectator might listen to a radio or watch a portable TV, but the perspective is the announcer's or TV angle. Such divergent perspectives—announcer versus personal—can be confusing. Further, a remote spectator might be most interested in the cars he is interested in—the ones near the 3rd turn. Other sports would benefit from a system that allows a spectator to more fully integrate the contest information with his desired viewing perspective. In addition to auto racing, football, yachting, horse racing, golf, hockey or any motor sport are candidates for the system and method hereof, especially as size and weight of GPS and radios accompanying a participant decreases.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,403 describes a GPS system for tracking objects, such as cars, at a sporting event. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,090; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0105857; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0259002. High data rate packet transmission is known, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,894,994; 6,909,738; 6,885,652; 6,917,644; and 6,801,516. Examples of user interfaces, such as PDAs, cell phones, headsets, and the like are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,053,780; 6,879,443; and 6,115,177. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference.
In navigation and locator GPS-based systems, what is lacking is an integrated GPS system for an individual user to gain situational awareness and to easily identify destinations or other areas of interest. That is, while a user might possess a GPS-enabled cell phone that transmits his position and gives text based directions to a destination, this information gives a very incomplete understanding to visually identify a destination. Such a user might have an overhead view of a map showing the position of the destination on the map, but leaves it up to the user to find and identify the destination.
A particular problem in the area of personal navigation is identifying a place of interest in a confusing environment, such as a crowded street. For example, a cell phone having a GPS might be enabled to identify that a destination is near, but the user cannot locate the destination because of the clutter or environment, e.g. a crowded street or neighborhood or obstructions to the user's line of sight. Users also have difficulty relating how a small mark identifying a place on a map correlates to their position or their view of the environment.